Gertz's 2000 book, The China Threat: How the People's Republic Targets America, presented the case that China's military was more modern and powerful than was its reputation in the United States military and intelligence communities.[12] His 2002 book, Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to Sept. 11, examined the activities of United States intelligence agencies prior to the 2001 terrorist attacks.[13] His 2004 book, Treachery: How America’s Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies, accused United States allies, including France and Germany of helping to arm terrorists.[14] His 2008 book, The Failure Factory: How Unelected Bureaucrats, Liberal Democrats, and Big Government Republicans Are Undermining America's Security and Leading Us to War, said that many federal bureaucrats hold liberal views on foreign policy.[15]